Chapter Thirty
Zoey
M agnus looks at me like I’m his world, like I hold his happiness. And the woman he told me was his mother stands there, smiling like she’s just pulled off the match of the century.
He scowls at her. “Mother.”
“I’m leaving.” She steps toward me and touches my arm. “Welcome to the family, I hope.”
I stare at her as she leaves and play over everything I heard. “Was I a game, Magnus?”
“You were never a game.” He walks slowly halfway across the room and stops. “Not like that.”
“She said I won you something?”
I breathe out. Wait.
“My dead father decided to test us all for the family heirloom jewels.” He shrugs. “My brother had to fall in love and I had to show I had heart.”
I squeeze shut my eyes. “By getting me to love you? And you saving my business?”
“What? No. I set up a bunch of foundations and charities. I have them here.”
He goes to the desk and I follow, I don’t know why. I’m weak. I love him. He hands me another folder and I take it and flip through, pausing on the page labeled Helena Smith Foundation. Page after page of things he’s set up are there. Small and big and only one thing is named after his family name. My hands tremble as I smooth my fingers back on that page named after my grandmother.
“It’s a safe place for kids and young people, to go and read or hang out and do homework, to exchange books. Just something I figured would be helpful in different communities. Not a library, even though so many are closing down or becoming privatized, but a place where kids can feel safe and just be with an emphasis on books.” He wipes a hand over the back of his neck.
“What you heard,” he says, “was my mother pointing out the real heart I showed was you. Falling for you. She’s an annoying woman. A pain in my ass. And very astute.”
“So what am I meant to do? Just forgive you?”
“You know, I went to you earlier today with the plan to do that. I could have just sent you everything. Made it formal and soulless. But I didn’t.”
“You’re selfish.”
“Yeah.”
I nod, a spark of hope blooming inside me. “I could live with selfish.”
“Thing is, I wanted to learn about who was in my way and then I met you and you got in my heart. I did all that for you. That wasn’t selfish. That cost me a lot of money. And will. I can afford it, but I don’t waste money for anyone. Except you. Because I love you.”
Suddenly he frowns. “Wait. Did you say you loved me?”
“Did I say that?”
“Yes, you wanted to know if I’d made you fall in love with me to get what I wanted.”
I suck in a breath. “Magnus, you manipulated me. You planned to con me. You wanted to take my place from me.”
“Yes. And I fell in love with you instead.”
“Do you think I should forgive you?”
A look of pain crosses his beautiful face. “No. Not at all. But if you do, I’ll spend my life winning you over, proving my love, making myself worthy of you. I’ve never been in love before, so I’m not good at it. All I know is you’re in my mind first thing in the morning and last thing at night.” He stops. “Fuck, I sound like a terrible love song.”
“I don’t mind.”
“You don’t?”
“I love you, too. I’m not good at holding grudges, Magnus. And I think you were you once you stopped the doormat nice guy routine early on.”
He comes up to me, a half smile on his face. “Zoey. Are you saying I have a chance?”
“You shouldn’t.”
“I know.”
“You should be made to suffer.”
“I already am.” He touches me, traces along my cheek, and it’s pure magic.
“You don’t play fair.”
“I know. It’s why they call me Asshole Supreme.”
I start laughing, I can’t help it. And then I stop because he closes the gap between us and pulls out the big guns.
He kisses me.
It’s soft and sweet and tender and slow. There’s passion and love and longing and regret. And hope.
The kiss contains a bright and shining future if I’m brave enough, stupid enough, reckless enough to take it.
And I do. I slide my arms about him and deepen the kiss and finally when it’s over he smiles down at me, his dimple flashing and making me weak all over.
“I love you, Zoey,” he says, running his thumb along my lip. “You’ve ruined me. You got me eating those cookies you make. Already you have the devotion of my PA. That’s who I gave the cookies and cake to when you sent them home for Amelia. And also my mother, who ate the ones I left in here. I’m not really into sugar, or I wasn’t, but you make magic happen.”
“In my cookies and cakes?”
He grins. “Those, yes, but I meant you. You’re the magic ingredient. You make anything the right kind of sweet, Zoey.”
“You don’t have to convince me to love you,” I say.
Magnus releases me and leans against his desk, letting his gaze move slowly over me. “Actually, I do. I need to win you every day. Because I think you’re worth it. I never got the deal about heart. But I do now. And falling in love with you, I can see some things are worth more than money.”
My heart swells. “If I asked you to give it all up would you?”
“In a second. I’m not saying we take ourselves to the poorhouse, but yeah, I’d give up my empire for you.”
I fan myself with one hand and try to breathe. “You know what? You don’t have to do that. Not unless you want. But if you stick to those plans you gave me, you did something better. You saved my neighborhood. Progressed it, sure, but you’re giving back. You’re giving those who love it a place to live and where they can afford to live.”
His cheeks turn darker. “There’ll be jobs, too. I did that for you, for them.” He picks up two boxes that are on his desk and looks at me. “Why did you come here?”
“Because I love you.”
He nods. “I didn’t get why my mother gave me this,” he says, handing me a black box. “But I think it’s for you.”
I open it and gasp. It’s a beautiful key. “This is meant to represent your heart. Well, the way in, the way to protect it.”
“Is it?”
“Look at it.”
He laughs softly. “Actually, that sounds just like my mother. I think you’re right. My heart needs to be in safe hands, Zoey. And I can’t think of better hands than yours.”
“You know, I think a key like this works both ways.”
“It does?”
I nod. “Stands to reason it works for mine, too.”
“I like that.” He pushes away from the table. “I think a key that works like that means it’s got to be the forever kind. One that comes with a ring. Vows.”
Now I really can’t breathe. I don’t even know how I got here. But the happiness inside me is flying so high it’s looping the loop and it feels completely and utterly right. He’s an asshole, but he’s mine.
Mine.
“And I think,” I say, “that you should marry me, like you say. And not just because of that. Thing is, you’re new at all this being good thing. I think you need someone around to make sure you don’t fall off the wagon and back into your black-hearted ways.”
He slides an arm around me. “I like that plan. I do need someone like that. Someone sweet and strong and stubborn who can keep me under control.”
I kiss him and it’s perfect.
Magnus sighs and leans his forehead against mine a moment. “I don’t have a ring. Not yet. But I have the Sinclair earrings, if you’d like them.”
He opens the other box and they glint at me. They’re delicate gold and rose-colored diamond tear drops. Beautiful, understated, and old. I fall in love with them, too. “I accept.”
“I never thought someone else could make me so happy.”
“Stick with me,” I say. “I’ve got a lot more to teach you.”
“I’d love that.” He kisses me again. “I’m so sorry I hurt you, Zoey.”
“I could say you can make it up to me the rest of our lives, but you know what?”
“What?”
I take a breath. “I’d rather just spend the rest of our lives loving each other, good times and bad.”
“I can live with that.”
He kisses me and sets down the earrings and the key, then he picks up an envelope.
“What is it?”
“For my brothers.” He opens it and scans it and puts it down. “I’ve got a feeling Ryder’s next. The board of our father’s company, our heritage, isn’t happy with his shenanigans, and I think there’s something else going on. My mother is poking her nose into all this, and…” He kisses me again. “And I don’t know why. I have three brothers. I’m telling you this because there are two of them, Ryder and Kingston, who have yet to face whatever’s thrown at them for their piece of our inheritance. And if you marry into this family, you’re going to be involved whether you like it or not.”
“A mystery?” I start to smile.
“A pain in the ass,” he says. “But whatever’s going on, that’s up to them. I’ve got a wedding to plan.” He stops. “We. We have. Unless you changed your mind.”
“You’re stuck with me, Edward Magnus Sinclair.”
“Good, because you’re stuck with me. For the rest of our lives.”
“Deal.”
“I love a good deal. And I love you, Zoey.”
This time he kisses me with heat and passion and so much love I know this is a forever thing.
No matter what happened before. We have a future ahead of us and no matter what happens, it’s going to be good. Because I’ll have Magnus. We made it through this. We can make it through anything.
“I love you too,” I say.
This is the end of Magnus and Zoey's love story.
But the two, as well as all the other Sinclair brothers, return.